It’s been announced that Warner Bros and DC are in the very early stages of an origin story for Batman’s signature arch nemesis, The Joker.

Set in the Batman Universe but not attached to any other iteration, the film will be directed by Martin Scorsese. Joining the famed director, are writers Todd Phillips and Scott Silver who scripted The Hangover and 8 Mile respectively.

Joker has been portrayed on-screen before, most memorably by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. and most recently by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. Leto is unlikely to play the lead in this film but will reprise his role in the Suicide Squad sequel and Harley Quinn spin-off. This movie is likely to cast someone younger and possibly unknown.

Nothing has been confirmed on where this will fit into the DC schedule but it will, as always be going up against the titan that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU already has a string of successes but with a director like Scorsese in the driver’s seat, things could get even darker with DC.

Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr writes, “The intention is to make a gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film set in early-80s Gotham City that isn’t meant to feel like a DC movie as much as one of Scorsese’s films from that era, like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull or The King Of Comedy.”

Do you think this new outlook will give DC what it needs to propel the DCU? Do we need another character taking on such an iconic role as The Joker?

Some of you may remember my review of Prometheus; the much anticipated prequel to the Alien franchise and the disaster i thought that was.

Alien: Covenant is no exception.

While this film actually wraps up any loose ends as to how the Xenomorphs were created and why; it was still let down by the acting and the lack of real action. The ultimate revelation at the end of the film is definitely insightful and a little shocking; but this was let down by everything else that went on before.

In short, Ridley Scott basically re made Alien with more unknown characters and a monster that because this being prequel of course; a monster we had already seen. The shock factor of the Xenomorph was lost in many ways because we’re not particularly scared of it anymore. Sure, its still shocking and gory but the ‘fear of the unknown’ of the original films is lost because now you’re just anticipating when the facehugger is going to come out of the egg or when the extra mouth is going to pop out of the black adult alien.

Sadly, it was all very cliche and it didnt even have characters that you could sympathise with or relate to in this outing. For people who are meant to be scientists and prepared for medical emergencies or ship malfunctions etc. once something bad happened; they all seemed to fall apart very quickly. Within an hour; half the crew were dead and you either didnt really care or thought it was their own fault.

The one saving grace of the film is of course, Michael Fassbender. The one star in the film; of course not counting Guy Pierce in the opening credits and James Franco in a throwback of a home movie. His portrayal of the androids David and Walter are amazing. His movements, his speech; his lust for art and culture while in David form is fantastic and more so very believable.

I anticipated his scenes as they created a sense of foreboding that had you on the edge of your seat. Not physically of course but more so in anticipating what he was going to and when; where everyone else was pretty predictable.

The film gets points for nostalgia purposes but generally, its really…plain. Theres nothing to gloriously praise or even criticise. Its just kind of…there.